Kentucky, 2001

Winter Storm in Kentucky, February 22, 2001

February 22, 2001 · NWS JKL · 5 events in 5 counties and zones

A storm system moved from the lower Mississippi Valley into the Southern Appalachians and brought heavy accumulations of sleet and freezing rain to a large area in eastern Kentucky. Total accumulations of sleet and freezing rain were between one half inch and 1 inch.

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it; 5 filed by county or forecast zone are drawn at its center, in a lighter ring. Tap one for its entry below.

  • Tornadoes
  • Tropical storms and surge
  • Floods
  • Wind
  • Hail
  • Winter weather
  • Heat and drought
  • Cold
  • Fire, smoke and dust
  • Marine and coastal
  • Other

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The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
5

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS JKL wrote it up.

A storm system moved from the lower Mississippi Valley into the Southern Appalachians and brought heavy accumulations of sleet and freezing rain to a large area in eastern Kentucky. Total accumulations of sleet and freezing rain were between one half inch and 1 inch.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS Jackson, KY wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Feb 22, 5:10 AM EST, 15 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Feb 22, 5:10 AM EST, 15 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED FOR CURRENT CCF...
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE JACKSON KY
510 AM EST THU FEB 22 2001

SFC CHART THIS AM HAS A LOW PRESS TRACKING NE THRU THE CNTRL GULF
STATES INTO ERN TN/KY. FZRA HAS MADE ITS WAY NWRD THRU 2/3 OF CWFA
WITH THE TEMPS ONCE AGAIN ABOVE FRZG IN EXTREME SW CWFA. 88D HAS THE
LEADING EDGE OF PCPN HAS ALMOST MADE IT TO OUR NRN MOST COUNTIES
WHILE THE BACK EDGE HAS ALMOST MADE IT TO OUR SWRN COUNTIES AS OF
10Z. NUMEROUS REPORTS OF FZRA...HOWEVER ACCUMULATIONS HAVE NOT BEEN
AS MUCH AS PREVIOUSLY EXPECTED...BUT THEN REPORTS HAVE BEEN LIMITED
IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. STILL WITH HEAVY PCPN IN THE CWFA WILL
CONTINUE WARNINGS AND ADVISORIES. THINKING SNOW WILL NOT BE AS MUCH
BUT FZRA WILL PROBABLY MEET OR EXCEED CRITERIA IN MOST LOCATIONS.

PCPN SHOULD END BY MIDDAY BUT CLOUDS WILL STICK AROUND AND EXPECT
HIGH TEMPS TO ONLY MAKE IT INTO THE UPPER 30S TO NEAR 40 AND AGAIN
ON FRI WITH CAA.

IN EXTENDED...SOME CLOUDS WILL HANG IN AREA IN THE COOLER AIR FOR
FRI. NEXT S/W TO WILL PUSH INTO CNTRL PLAINS ON SAT AND BRING WRM
FNT BACK NORTH THRU AREA THEN CLD FNT ON SUN SO WILL BRING POPS BACK
IN FOR THE WEEKEND BEFORE THINGS CLEAR OUT AND COOL DOWN AGAIN EARLY
NEXT WEEK.

FCST PREPARED WITH ICWF. WORK ZONES OUT VERY SOON. PRELIMINARY CCF
FOR COORDINATION PURPOSES.

WRKCCFJKL
LOZ RB 043/028 056/031 060 22910
JKL OB 041/029 055/032 059 22+10
FGX OB 039/028 054/031 058 22+10
IOB OB 039/028 054/032 058 22+10
K22 OB 039/028 055/031 058 22+10
7K0 OB 041/028 055/030 059 22+10
K20 OB 041/029 055/032 059 22+10
SME RB 044/028 057/030 060 22910
1A6 RB 044/028 057/029 060 22910

.JKL...HEAVY SNOW ADVISORY FOR PORTIONS OF NORTHEASTERN KENTUCKY
       THROUGH MIDDAY.
    ...WINTER STORM WARNING FOR EAST CENTRAL KENTUCKY THROUGH
       MIDDAY.
    ...WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR MUCH OF EASTERN KENTUCKY LATE
       TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING.

DUSTY

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

5 winter storm. Local standard time, as filed.

Winter Storm, Estill

When
February 22, 5:25 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Estill forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.693, -83.964 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Jackson

When
February 22, 5:25 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Jackson forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.420, -84.006 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Knott

When
February 22, 5:25 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Knott forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.354, -82.954 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Magoffin

When
February 22, 5:25 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Magoffin forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.707, -83.065 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

Winter Storm, Powell

When
February 22, 5:25 AM EST to 9:00 AM EST
Where
Powell forecast zone
Reported by
TRAINED SPOTTER
Coordinates
37.831, -83.824 (the zone’s center; the record gives no point)

What these are

Winter Storm
A storm that brought snow, sleet or freezing rain at warning levels, usually over several hours or days.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Kentucky in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Kentucky, February 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5233174, 5233175, 5233176, 5233177, 5233178.